Columbia Aging Center at the Mailman School of Public Health has honored 13 NYC employers for having policies and practices that help them to hire, engage and retain workers over age 50.

The 2018 Age Smart Employer Awards, sponsored by the Columbia Aging Center and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, recognized 13 businesses and nonprofit organizations that demonstrate they value employers of all ages, including those over 50. The outstanding employers included two factories, movie and TV production studios, two accounting firms, a zoo, a diner, a sewing machine sales and repair shop, a healthcare provider, a private school, a music school, a gas and electric utility, and a social service provider.

These employers have policies and practices that help them to hire, engage, and retain older workers — things like flexibility, job restructuring, mentorship programs, and phased retirement, along with great benefits, opportunities for employees to contribute ideas, ways for workers of all ages to seek added training and education, and work and volunteer roles for retirees. Some also have strategies to actively hire older workers.